Okay, I’ll let egg head Afrikaans singer Natani?+¦???+¦?+¦-+?+¦-úl touch my leg. My arm. Heck, he can even touch my studio.
But Bru, don’t you touch my sosatie.
ShopriteCheckers, the better-and-better store, has been using the Egg Head for some time to promote their edibles. And usually it was easy to avoid Natani?+¦???+¦?+¦-+?+¦-úl’s lyrical waxings on, say, a chunk of cottage cheese or such. But the latest Checkers advertisement calls for reaction from anyone concerned at preserving the authenticity of South African cuisine.
In the latest ad, his Eggedness is selling sosaties. Made from grain-fed beef. Splattered in some tomatoey-looking juice. And during the exhibition, viewers are encouraged to buy these lovely, delicious sosaties.
As a figurehead of Afrikaans culture and a TV chef one would have expected Natani?+¦???+¦?+¦-+?+¦-úl to inform the Checkers copywriting team that anything on a stick not a sosatie maketh. See, sosatie is a South African dish which is separated from other kebabs due to the fact that is made from lamb or mutton which is marinated in a blend of spices inspired by the traditions of Malay cooking.
No, this is not Sannie Smit, Lienkie Gotswater or a member of the Kappiekommando speaking. The origins of sosatie are internationally recognised. Wikipedia: “For sosaties – from sesate (skewered meat) and sate (spicy sauce) – mutton chunks are marinated overnight in fried onions, chillies, garlic, curry leaves and tamarind juice, then threaded on skewers and either pan-fried or grilled[1]. Of Cape Malay origin, used in Afrikaans.”
But if that is the game ShopriteCheckers and Egg Head are playing, why don’t they just go the whole hog. What about a chocolate flavoured melktert and vegetarian bobotie? Flour-free koeksisters filled with caramel or a Tex-Mex tomato bredie, anybody?
The power wielded by big supermarkets is truly frightening. They can contort tradition, misguide consumers and screw suppliers.
And that is before we’ve reached the wine counter.
Wonder what ShopriteChairman Christo Wiese was doing carrying R7m in cash out of Heathrow. Buying up old recipes, perhaps?
-,,,,,,,,, Faizel van der Vyver
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It’s almost the same thing as coffee Pinotage!
To be honest, I thought sosatie was Afrikaans for kebab even though I know what a proper sosatie is. What is kebab in Afrikaans then?
Then again, tagliatelle in SA supermarkets has been called lasagne for decades.